Born in Yan, Kedah on 11 July 1942, Sanusi received his education at the Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK).
Tan Sri Sanusi became the Director of Bank Simpanan Nasional and Chairman of Insan Diranto Bhd.
He was also appointed as Chairman of the National Day Committee and Member of the Malaysian Chamber of Commerce in 1983, and in February 2000, he became President of the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM).
Sanusi became the seventh Menteri Besar of Kedah Darul Aman and held the office from 16 June 1996, until November 1999.
In honor of his contributions and services, he has been awarded medals and honors, among them DSSM, SSSA, DGSM, Kedah Crown Prince (SMK), Dato' Setia from the Sultan of Kedah (DSDK), the Chief Justice of the Crown (PSM) and the King's Hon.
[2][3] In January 2003, Sanusi Junid's daughter, Ammanda Ruhul Hamidah, married Masrul Faisal at a reception held at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur, attended by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and his wife, Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali.
[4] Sanusi died on 9 March 2018, at his residence in Zehn Apartment, Bukit Pantai, Kuala Lumpur.
[5][6] His funeral at Saidina Umar Al-Khattab Mosque in Bukit Damansara[7][8] was attended by two former Malaysian prime ministers, Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and by Deputy Minister of Defense, Mohd Johari Baharum, Government Sociology Advisor Tan Sri Dr. Rais Yatim, BERSATU President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, Ahmad Shabery Cheek.